


Ten Minutes Ago

by EmilyBea



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 14:33:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13766175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilyBea/pseuds/EmilyBea
Summary: Reader requested EF AU oneshot (from my mixtape series on FF and tumblr) set to one of my favorite songs, ‘Ten Minutes Ago’ from Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. It's a Cinderella-like fic and placed it in the setting of a royal Christmas ball. In this I am also writing what I believe may be a first for me – Killian is the prince and Emma is the Cinderella figure. This is a sweet, short slice of what could have been a full multi-chapter AU. But until I find the time to write that up, I thank my lovely reader who suggested it and I hope you all enjoy!





	Ten Minutes Ago

Watching the snow covered world pass by from the window of this horse drawn carriage, Emma Swan couldn’t help but feel like this was all a dream.

Not that anyone could blame her really. After all, fairy godmothers and magic were supposed to be just the making of childhood stories, but tonight that had been proven incorrect. One moment Emma had been barely holding it together, saddened and dejected by the cruelty of her situation. Usually she could bare it to some degree, holding onto to the belief that if she was good and kind and brave, someday things would be different. But on this Christmas Eve, when every eligible maiden was invited to King Liam’s winter ball, Emma felt like all that faith in something better was for nothing. She was trapped in the tiny corner of hell where she’d been living for years, locked in her attic room with no way out, no finery befitting the evening, and no hope that she’d even have a way of getting to the castle if she was freed from this cage.

But then magic made real had flown into the picture, and she was dressed in a sparkling gown of green that shimmered and sparkled in a hue all its own. Tinkerbelle, her name had been, and from the moment Tink arrived at Emma’s window tonight, the tiny, dimming light of hope Emma had been clinging onto for all these wretched years sparked a little bit brighter. She was smiling again, and doing everything in her power to enjoy this one night. For that was all it could ever be… one perfect night to change her life, if only for a moment. Because when the clock struck midnight she’d go back to the life she had before and that would be that. The magic would fade away and she’d return to the girl she was, simple and ordinary and inconsequential.

Emma shook the thought away, promising herself that such thoughts were over. She would not waste a second of this precious Christmas gift with sadness or regret. Instead she’d savor every part of tonight, from the majesty of her mice turned to horses leading the charge through the freshly fallen snow, to the way the castle looked so picturesquely beautiful as they pulled up to where the ball was taking place. Looking at it from her window Emma almost forgot to breathe, but then she collected herself, smiling at the attendant and tilting her head to the side curiously when he addressed her as ‘Princess.’ That was quite an assumption to make on the spot, but then again this crimson gown that Tinkerbelle had crafted for Emma was remarkable, and no person she knew could ever dream to replicate it without magic or a material wealth reserved for royals.

The next thing she knew Emma had been led up the stairs and into the palace, trying to take in every wreath and garland and perfect decoration that spoke to more wealth and affluence than Emma could even imagine. Only after a moment, did Emma realize, however, that she was arriving rather late. No one remained in the entryway save for palace staff, meaning that everyone else must be inside already. A prickling of unease came upon her then, for she hated the idea of standing out from the crowd, but what was there to do at this point? She’d come all of this way, and it would be foolish to turn back now. No. She had to keep going. It was the only way.

“Okay, you can do this Emma,” she whispered to herself in attempt at stern self-council. “Just breathe. Just breathe.”

With one last steadying breath and a rushed sort of prayer that she didn’t trip and make a fool of herself, Emma made her way to the landing and looked down below. It was the first time she’d ever seen a gathering like this, with all the dancing, and the music, and the splendor of it all. The room was adorned in golden hues made more prominent by the reds and greens and whites of Christmas. There were massive trees that must have come from deep within the forest in each corner of the room, and the general merriment of the festivities was palpable, leaving a buzzing kind of energy all throughout the space. Emma immediately fell in love with all of it, soaking in the excitement and the ambiance all around, but then something changed. A hush fell over the room and suddenly everyone was looking at her. Emma felt her cheeks warm at the attention and part of her wanted to turn tail and run for the closest exit, but then her eyes landed on one man among the crowd of people and her heart skipped as a sense of something familiar washed over her.

Handsome was a word many people would use to describe such a man, and they wouldn’t be wrong per se, but Emma didn’t think it did him justice. He was… god she didn’t know what he was, but this zinging sense of rightness tingled through her as she made her way down the stairs, and she couldn’t help as she descended the way her eyes tracked every part of him. That dark hair, those unbelievably blue eyes, and that handsome face held her captivated. She was so taken in she had no idea how she made it down the final set of steps, but as she’d made her way, the mysterious man had made a journey of his own, not attempting in any way to hide his objective of getting close to her. Emma smiled at the thought and the look in his eyes that told her she wasn’t the only one feeling this pull between them, but then her smile prompted a grin from him in kind and Emma was just as overwhelmed as she’d been at first sight.

Somewhere in the midst of all of that though, things began to piece together. Given the finery of his clothes and the seal of the noble house of Jones on his jacket, Emma realized he must be someone important, but only when she heard the murmurings rumbling through the crowd around them did she realize in full. This wasn’t just any nobleman; it was Prince Killian, younger brother of the king, and the man who this ball was intended for. Tonight he was supposed to find a proper match, and of all the people in the palace, he chose to be here now with her, making Emma feel wonderful and wildly anxious all at once. What could she – a common kitchen girl – possibly have to say to a prince? She hardly knew, but she had to figure it out and quickly too.

“Your highness,” Emma said as means of introduction, curtseying in a way she hoped passed for polite, but when she was done the prince said nothing. Instead he stepped toward her, taking her hand in his, his thumb brushing ever so slightly against her skin and leaving a blissful, sparkling sense of desire and awareness flowing through her as his eyes traced every feature of her face. She was so dizzy from it all that Emma almost forgot the fact that he hadn’t yet spoken, but a voice to the right of them alerted Prince Killian of his need for action.

“Well don’t just stand there, mate. Ask the lady to dance.”

Emma looked over to find a man in knight’s garb grinning from ear to ear, and then she heard the prince grumbling about ‘that damned Scarlet’ but when she turned back to look at Prince Killian again all the intensity of before remained locked on her. In those cerulean eyes she saw so much that would go unsaid, and it left that twisting twirl of want and anticipation fluttering all the more low in her stomach. She’d never felt so frazzled and free all at once, and then he offered her another smile, this one turned up slightly at the side and she was lost.

“Would you do me the great honor of dancing with me, Princess…?” he asked her, and Emma wanted to correct him and clear the air now. She was no princess, but she was also unable to form those words. She was falling into the silken sensation of the gravel of his voice against her skin, and it felt like the only choice she had was to tell him her name, since that was clearly what he wanted.” 

“Emma.”

“Emma,” he murmured in reply, as if he was tasting her name on his tongue and finding he loved it. The way her ordinary name sounded so transformed on his lips was enough to have Emma reeling, but that sensation was only made more prominent as Killian led her to the dance floor that was now cleared of anyone else.

“Everyone’s watching us,” Emma whispered to him after a few turns about the room, reluctant to keep staring at him even though it was what she wanted most to do. She was giving too much away, showing too much affection for a man she didn’t even know, but Emma couldn’t help feeling a sense of loss when her eyes left his gaze. Then the apprehension of earlier returned as she saw the eyes of everyone in the ballroom fixed on the two of them. 

“Are they?” Killian asked in a distracted tone, pulling Emma’s eyes back to his where she found he’d never looked away from her. “I’ll have to take your word for it, since it seems I’m powerless to see anything but you.”

“Are you always this charming?” Emma asked then as she fought off another blush and Killian chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

“I don’t think anyone has ever called me charming, Princess, especially at a Christmas ball.”

“Not a fan of the season?” Emma asked, genuinely curious as to why that would be, especially when he was nothing but a gentleman with her in every way. Or rather _most_ ways. Emma doubted that gentleman ever held their dance partners quite so close, but she didn’t mind that at all. Being here, pressed against his firm body and held in his strong arms, Emma felt safer than she’d ever been, and more desirous than at any time in her life before.

“I used to be, once upon a time,” he said thoughtfully, and Emma watched as his eyes fogged up a bit with some memory he must be revisiting.

“But not anymore,” Emma observed, expecting him to agree, and feeling the surprise when he smiled again. 

“Well now I’m not so sure. You see this was shaping up to be the same kind of Christmas as all the others, dark and dreary and missing that certain something everyone wants this time of year. But then an angel in red appeared before me and now suddenly everything is different.”

Where there words to respond to such a compliment? Emma didn’t know of any if they did exist, but she smiled back at him and let it hang there between them as Killian effortlessly twirled her across the dance floor. One song flowed into another, and now more people had joined them on the floor though Emma barely noticed. Instead she was grounded in this perfect little bubble where a man who made her breathless held her in his arms with a care and reverence she didn’t know could even exist.

“Tell me I’m not dreaming, love,” the prince said aloud a moment later, and Emma watched as the realization that he’d just said those words and called her such an affectionate name sank in. The flush that spread in response was endearing, just as it was when his hand came to scratch behind his ear in a show of slight embarrassment. “Forgive me. That was too familiar. It’s just… all night I’ve been standing here, saddled with responsibility, trying to do my brother proud though I couldn’t stand to be here, and then you walk in and all of that is gone. I spent the whole night praying for this evening to end, and now I never want it too.”

“We only met ten minutes ago,” Emma replied with an attempted smirk that probably didn’t play as confident and self-assured as she wanted. Try as she might she couldn’t appear unfazed by Prince Killian or his words since they meant so much to her.

“And I only needed one to know,” Killian murmured as one of his hands came up to graze her cheek. Emma leaned into the action, feeling her breathing speed up as she did.

“Know what?” she asked and at that Killian grinned again.

“That you’re different,” he confessed and Emma looked away, slightly ashamed that she’d been figured out so soon. Then he stopped dancing and his hand came to tilt her chin back up to look at him. “That you’re special.”

“If you really knew me, you might not be so sure,” Emma said, hearing the defeated tone of her voice and watching as Killian shook his head, not thwarted in the slightest.

“Let me prove you wrong. Let me show you what I know is here between us,” he implored her and Emma tilted her head in question. She wanted to go with him, on that there was no doubt. But could she trust her judgment tonight? Was she capable of guarding her heart enough to keep it safe when all of this was over, when she had such a night and such a man to tempt her? Emma didn’t know, but Killian must have read her mind as he made a final plea. “All I need is for you to trust me, and I swear I’ll show you there was never any need to fear.”

Pacified by his promise Emma nodded and she allowed the Prince to pull her out from the ball and into the courtyard outside. The music from inside still wafted out to here but it was softer now, flittering through the windows and the doors in a soft and soothing kind of hum. Emma thought to herself in that moment as she gazed upon the snowy scape before them that it should have been freezing out here, chilled as the world was this time of year, but through some enchantment Emma couldn’t quite place the air around them remained mild and the lantern lights glowed, illuminating the bluer hues of late night stars in a similar gold to the ones within the palace.

They stayed out there for what felt like mere minutes, but Emma knew from all they said that it must have been more time. It was just so easy with him, sitting here, tucked close together hand in hand without a care in the world, and for those hours out there they weren’t a prince or a common maid, they were just two people, two people who Emma had to admit, did seem to fit so seamlessly together. If things were different – no, regardless of how things were – it was clear to Emma that Killian was the best kind of man. He was good and kind and honorable, with a love of his brother and his kingdom and his people. He was witty and charming, but never conceited or elitist. And perhaps more than anything else, Killian was the first person in a long time who looked at her like he saw her for all she was. He might not know everything, but Emma couldn’t help but feel like he knew her heart and that that was the most important thing. He was a man who was impossible to resist, and after years of never thinking she’d find anything like love Emma had to concede that the stirring in her soul tonight was evidence that love was, in fact, possible.

“Didn’t I tell you, love?” Killian asked after a time spent in companionable quiet out there together, and Emma looked back at him with questioning in her eyes as he brought her hand up to kiss ever so gently. “There’s something here, something rare and remarkable. Tell me you feel it too.”

“I feel it,” Emma whispered, hearing the cracks of emotion in her voice brought on by the sheer force of what she was feeling, and the lingering remembrance that soon this would all be just a dream. Tomorrow she’d wake up with all of this out of her reach, and it nearly tore her heart in two to think that way. Then Killian leaned down, taking her lips in a kiss and Emma was both distracted from the pain and imbibed with a new sense of earnest need and wanting. If this kiss – this perfect, passionate embrace – was all she ever had with Killian, then it would have to be enough. She’d never feel this way again, never love as fast or as strongly as she’d fallen tonight, but at least she’d have this beautiful remembrance to see her through the long hard days without him.

The kiss, which started as a gentle assurance of their mutual desire turned to more, slipping past the kind of actions a prince or a lady should be partaking in at a public ball, but Emma didn’t care. All that mattered was this connection and this moment, and she soaked all of it in until the last final second when time caught up with her and called her back to reality. The slice of fear that cut through Emma as the clock tower rang out the tones of the midnight bells was instantaneous and at the sound she pulled away from Killian, rising to her feet and looking towards an escape. She had to get out of here or risk ruining this glorious night with a reality that just wasn’t the same. Once the magic faded, Killian would see that even if she’d never lied, she’d withheld a crucial truth, and that would change this perfect fairytale to something Emma couldn’t begin to dream of handling.

“I’m sorry, tonight’s been… well it’s been like a dream but I have to go. I’m so sorry.”

The words fell past Emma’s lips in a rush as she ran from the garden, avoiding the ball that was still carrying on inside and trying her best to get around the estate and towards her carriage once more. She had so little time, so little chance of getting out of here, and then that chance was truly halted when a hand – Killian’s hand – reached out to stop her.

“Emma, I don’t understand. You have to go? Just like that?”

“I don’t want to,” Emma said as the next bell tolled and she willed herself not to shed the tears that were forming in her eyes. “But I have to. It’s out of my control.”

“I can’t accept that Emma. If you don’t care for me then tell me that. I’m man enough to stand aside if your heart desires another… but if its fear that’s guiding you, then please don’t run from me. Run to me, love, and whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

Emma felt herself shaking with adrenaline as the clock tolled out again. She wanted so badly to give into his plan and to face this by his side. Leaving him was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but staying…? Well staying meant the chance that he’d reject her and she didn’t think her heart could take it. Before she could say any of that though, he pulled her back further into his arms and kissed her again briefly before speaking the rest of his peace.

“There’s nothing you could say that would change my mind, Emma. No secret, no darkness, no story that will change the way I feel for you. I realize its fast, some would say its crazy even, but sometimes you just know when something is right, and I know in my heart that I was meant to find you and that we belong together.”

Emma closed her eyes, fighting a war within herself about what to do, but in the end it was the voice inside her heart that led her way. It told her to believe, because maybe – just maybe – this would turn out all right in the end. Maybe it really wouldn’t matter, and maybe they could have more than just this one night. There was only one way to know, and it would require her to be braver than she’d ever been. So she didn’t pull away from Killian, even as each final tone sounded out in the cold night air, counting down to midnight and revealing the magic for what it was, a glamour covering the simple girl she really was.

Killian’s eyes went wide at the transformation, and before he could ask anything, Emma filled in the missing pieces. She told him the absolute truth of who she was and who she wasn’t. She told him about Tinkerbelle and the magic, about the constraints on her time and how it couldn’t last forever. But most importantly she told him she was sorry, sorry that she’d kept things from him and led him to believe she was anything other than Emma Swan.

“Don’t say that,” Killian said in the face of her apology, and Emma didn’t know what he meant until he pulled her closer again and made his feelings on the subject plain as day. “I hate to think that you’d regret this evening, love. Not when it’s been the happiest of my life.”

“It has?” Emma asked in shock, truly not expecting his acceptance so quickly. “But what you thought before – what I led you to believe…”

Her words trailed off as Killian brought her hands into his, leading each one up to his lips for a gently kiss as he smiled at her again. “The way I see it, love, nothing has changed.”

“What do you mean?” Emma asked, with a charge of emotion clinging to her voice. “Everything’s changed! I walked in tonight and you thought I was a princess, and now you know that’s not the case. I’m far from royalty, your -,”

Emma’s words were cut off before she could finish the thought by Killian pulling her in for a kiss that somehow packed even more passion and want and truth than the ones before. It also allowed Emma to let go of those worries she’d been clinging too only moments ago, and by the time she pulled away, there was nothing on her mind except for the feeling that this was right, and that she never wanted to leave this man who held her like she was the most precious thing in all the realms and like he never wanted to let her go. Even when the kiss had ended she held on tight, her forehead pressed against his as her hands clung to his jacket, unwilling to break the bond between them.

“When I called you Princess tonight, Emma, it wasn’t merely speculation based on your gown. It was because I knew, even before I knew your name, that in a perfect world, in a world where dreams could be made real, you would be a princess, _my_ princess. One look was all it took for me, Emma. I saw you and I knew. Call it fate, call it destiny, call it love at first sight, but the only thing that mattered – the only thing that will ever matter – is you, love.”

“And what about your brother?” Emma asked. “What about the kingdom?”

“I know that they will see what I see in you. No matter where you come from, Emma, you are still you, and that in itself is more than enough.”

This time it was Emma who pulled Killian in for a kiss, loving the feel of him and finally allowing herself to believe in his words. He really did want her, and now she felt like she could be honest with herself in how much she wanted him too. Nothing before had ever meant so much to her, and she was so consumed by this embrace she almost missed the crackling aura of magic surrounding her once more. When they did come up for air though, Emma was shocked, watching the rags she’d been wearing before transform back into her crimson dress once more.

“But Tink said it couldn’t last… that the magic was only strong enough for one night.” Emma said, unable to understand how she was once again dressed in the garments Tink had bestowed upon her until Killian offered a potential answer.

“What magic could ever be stronger than true love?”

“Love?” Emma asked, shocked at the word but unafraid of its implication. This was fast, yes, but what was it he’d said only a moment before? Sometimes you just know…

“Aye. I love you Emma Swan, and I want to spend my whole life showing you just how much,” he said looking at her with a hope and a certainty that awed her as his hand reached inside his jacket and removed a ring. Then, right there in the snow covered garden he got down on one knee and plead for the chance. “I never believed this would happen tonight, love, mostly because I never knew a love so strong awaited me. But now I know, and I’ve no intention of turning my back on such a gift. You are all I need, Emma. You are the magic that my life has been missing. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she replied, happy tears streaming down her face. “Yes, Killian I will marry you.” 

And with that there was much more celebration to be had. The engagement was announced and a wedding soon followed, and Killian was proved right in his earlier beliefs. For Emma was beloved by the people and her new family too, and there was never any question of where she belonged and what she deserved. From that point on Christmas time carried even more cheer and happiness than in the years before, and as for Emma and Killian, well they did what so many souls who share true love do: they lived happily ever after.

……………..

_Ten minutes ago, I saw you_

_I looked up when you came through the door_

_My head started reeling_

_You gave me the feeling_

_The room had no ceiling or floor_

_Ten minutes ago, I met you_

_And we murmured our "How do you do's?"_

_I wanted to ring out the bells_

_And fling out my arms_

_And to sing out the news_

_"I have found her, she's an angel_

_With the dust of the stars in her eyes_

_We are dancing, we are flying_

_And she's taking me back to the skies"_

_In the arms of my love, I'm flying_

_Over mountain and meadow and glen_

_And I like it so well_

_That for all I can tell_

_I may never come down again_

_I may never come down to earth again_

_T_ _en minutes ago, I met you_

_And we murmured our "How do you do's?"_

_I wanted to ring out the bells_

_And fling out my arms_

_And to sing out the news_

_I have found him_

_In the arms of my love, I'm flying_

_Over mountain and meadow and glen_

_And I like it so well_

_That for all I can tell_

_I may never come down again_

_I may never come down to earth again_

**_Post-Note: So once again I just want to say thank you to the lovely reader who suggested this song. It was quite a while ago that I got this request (as any of you who have asked for songs know, I take FOREVER to get around to them since there are so many), but finally my muse showed me a way to make all my usual fluff and share it with others. So I am very thankful for the request, and for all of my readers who have sent some of their own. Know that I have a list of them all, and though my writing has been so much less frequent because of this program, some day I hope to get to each and every one of them! Anyway if you celebrate I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and if not, wishing you all lovely winters filled with lots of CS and fic cuteness galore!!_ **


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